Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2015

Publication Title

International Journal of Science and Engineering Investigations

Abstract

Grip strength has been shown to be closely linked to body strength in mature aged adults. However what may be of greater importance is the relationship between grip strength and functional movements in aging adults. Purpose: This study examined the relationship between grip strength and functional body movements in mature aged adults. Methods: Female (n=12, age=71.2±3.8 years, mass=66.3±9.2 kg) and male (n=16, age=72.9±4.7 years, mass=85.5±9.4 kg) participants completed functional body movements including: vertical jump (VJ), medicine ball (MB) throws (1.5, 3.0, & 5.0 Kgs), and a stair climb (SC) test. Likewise, all participants performed maximal hand grip (MG) with the Jamar hand grip dynamometer. Pearson correlation coefficients (PCC) were then calculated to determine the relationship between dominant hand MG and the functional body movement scores. Results: PCC’s were as follows: MG-VJ (r=0.62), MG-MB1.5 (r=0.86), MG-MB3.0 (r=0.87), MG-MB5.0 (r=0.91), and MG-SCP (r=0.79). All PCC’s were statistically significant at P<0.01. Conclusions: Within the parameters of this study, MG strength is strongly reflective of functional body movements that require upper and lower body power output. In this regard, assessing grip strength may be beneficial to clinicians interested in assessing functional body movements in aging adults.

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Published in International Journal of Science and Engineering Investigations. Available at http://www.ijsei.com/papers/ijsei-43915-01.pdf.

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